The Pavano Family, also called the Pavano Crime Syndicate, is the second-most powerful of the Cosa Nostra Commission families of Liberty City and is primarily based in Algonquin. The family is said to be controlled by 60 year old Mary Valvona, along with her 40-year-old ex-lover Arthur Zepulla who is the family's official consigliere. Mary Valvona is a suspect in the murder of her former husband and boss Don Pavano in the 1990s. Joe Corrola is a low level member and former lover of Mary, he is in charge of the family's heroin distribution ring. Mario Venturella is the latest lover of Maria and is an Algonquin based cat-burglar. Vito Menotti, a former Pavano hitman turned states against them in 2008.

Contents

Pavano vs Pegorino War

Jimmy Pegorino looked at the Pavanos as a way of getting a seat in the Commission, so he organized a sit down with them at an old refinery, where he took Niko Bellic along to watch over the meet with a sniper rifle after he was recommended to Pegorino by Phil Bell. The sit down was a set up and the Pavanos attempted to whack Pegorino, who was saved by Niko. The Pavanos later suffered for their actions when Pegorino hired Bellic to wipe out one of their crews that was meeting at Auto Eroticar in Alderney.

Government Informants

Vito "Dog Meat" Menotti - a top-ranking hitman for the Pavanos since the 1990s, who is now turning states against them.

Notes

The Pavano family is similar to an Italian Camorra organization, which once had a female boss named Rosetta Cutolo.

Mary Valvona could be based on Rockstar Games' interpretation of Cathy Moriarty-Gentile's character Patti LoPresti from the film Analyze That, in which she was a female Mafia Boss in New York City. No Italian-American crime families in New York City or the United States ever had any female members. Females have only stayed as associates or "Comare" (name for a mafia mistress). However, the wife or sister of a previous don taking over the family is much more common in Sicily-based mafia families.

The Pavano family could also be loosely based on the Genovese crime family. The Pavanos are operating in some of the same areas as the Genoveses; in Manhattan (Algonquin) neighborhoods of Harlem (North Holland), and Central Park (Middle Park). The family also maintains a strong presence in New Jersey (Alderney). The Pavano family is ranked as the second-most powerful family in GTA IV, while the Genovese crime family is ranked as America's most powerful mafia family. In the Liberty Tree the Pavanos are rival enemies of the Gambettis (Gambino family), similar to the real Genovese-Gambino rivalry.